Igor Lazarev and Nikita Basin both fell tonight in separate bouts at Bolton Whites Hotel in Bolton, England, United Kingdom. Lazarev dropped a six-rounder on points to Greg McGuinness. Basin was stopped in the second round of his fight against Kyle Lomotey.
Lazarev came out boxing in the first. Greg McGuinness, a southpaw, charged forward. He landed a left but ate a right for his trouble. Both guys had some success doing what they wanted in the opening period. Another left off McGuinness's jab as he moved in was a harbinger of things to come. Meanwhile, Lazarev landed an overhand right and some body shots. It was a close round.
The second and third rounds saw McGuinness's pressure wear down Igor. Lazarev landed some nice rights in the second, but it was clear the home fighter's punches thudded harder. McGuinness spent some time mauling the Israeli on the ropes. At times, Igor bent down and McGuinness took what was given him, landing on the top of Lazarev's head.
Exhausted in the corner, Igor found a spark in the fourth. After taking a right hook and a jab, Lazarev connected with a big left hook of his own. He moved his head effectively and his feet kept him out of danger. In the middle of the round, he turned into the Magic Johnson of boxing, throwing no look punches as he bent at the waist. Those blind shots connected with astonishing accuracy. He slipped oncoming fire like a defensive master.
McGuinness finished the fourth strong, but it wasn't enough to take the round. In the fifth, Lazarev continued to show off his defensive skills, but those brilliant no-look bombs were mostly a relic of the previous round. McGuinness trapped him in the corner and raked him with some more lefts. The Brit's overhand left seemed to carry the day.
Both men were in excellent condition. Even in the final three minutes, McGuinness lingered on Lazarev like a loiterer. He wouldn't stop throwing punches. Igor dodged many of them though. At one point, he was caught on the ropes once again, so he spun and landed a one-two in return. By the end of the fight, both men were trading fire. Though McGuinness missed many of his punches in the final round, enough slammed off Igor to take it.
Referee Jamie Kirkpatrick scored the bout 59-55 for McGuinness, or five rounds to one. In certain fights in Britain only the referee scores the contest. The Jewish Boxing Blog scored the bout 59-56 or four to one with one even. Lazarev is now 8-2 with 3 KOs while McGuinness improves to 3-0 with one KO.
Nikita Basin started his fight using the bob and weave tactic as he pressed forward. When he wasn't punching, he kept an unusually tight guard to protect against punches down the middle and keep his chin safe. His speed wasn't quite enough to catch Kyle Lomotey, a slick southpaw. Basin landed a snapping jab that caught Lomotey off guard, but the home fighter soon figured out Basin's style.
Lomotey boxed well and held his left glove up to guard against the overhand right, Nikita's best shot at victory. Kyle landed some good right hooks, a clean straight left, and threw a well-timed jab. Though Basin's chin was in the clear, his temple was exposed and Lomotey zeroed in. A right hook just before the bell to end the opening round put Basin down to the canvas.
Basin couldn't get much going in the second round. To his credit, he pushed forward even as Lomotey picked him off. The Brit, who reps his Ghanaian heritage, punched around the tight guard when he went to the body. He then landed an overhand left and a right hook that wobbled Basin. Lomotey followed up by teeing off on the Israeli. Referee Jamie Kirkpatrick jumped in to wave off the contest. Basin stared at the ref as he was escorted back to his corner and shrugged in resignation.
This is the second time in a little over a month Basin has been stopped. His ledger is now 4-2 with four KOs. None of his fights have gone into the fourth round. Lomotey is now 10-0 with two KOs.
Kudos to both Lazarev and Basin for showing courage by fighting tough foes on short notice in the opposition's home country.